


Memories

by AchillesMonkey



Series: Fitz and Friends [4]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bus Kids - Freeform, Discussion of Past Abuse, Gen, Past Child Abuse, Past Verbal Abuse, Platonic bed sharing, Post-Episode: s01e08 The Well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 17:57:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9836417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AchillesMonkey/pseuds/AchillesMonkey
Summary: The Bus Kids bond after Ward's outburst brings up past memories. Takes place after episode 1x08.





	

Skye watched Ward walk away from the bar and couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She knew what it was like to have a sucky childhood, to have other kids beat you up, force you to do things you didn’t want to do. She wished Ward would just open up to her. She could help.

“C’n I get you anyt’ing, Miss?” the bartender asked, and Skye smiled at his accent.

“No, thanks,” she said, getting off the barstool. “Have a good night.”

“You as well, Miss.”

She made her way slowly to her floor, going into her room. She changed into her pajamas, scrolled through her various social media apps, and tried to decide what she wanted to do until she was tired enough to sleep. Ward had the room two doors down, but she didn’t want to disturb him if he’d gone to bed. He probably needed the rest after everything he’d been through. She checked her phone for the time, saw it was only 9:30, and decided to make her way down the hall to Simmons’ room. She knocked and was quickly let in.

“Hi, Skye,” Simmons said brightly. Skye entered and glanced around. The television was on and Fitz was lounging on the bed, also dressed in his pajamas. He was holding onto a toy monkey that he very quickly shoved underneath a pillow the moment he noticed Skye.

“Hi,” Skye replied to Simmons. “Hi, Fitz.” Fitz mumbled a greeting and didn’t meet her eyes. She noticed the blush covering his face. “What are you watching?”

“An old episode of Mock the Week,” Simmons answered. “It’s sort of a comedy news show. Do you want to join us?”

“Sure!” Skye plopped down on the bed and scooted until she was lying next to Fitz, her head resting on the pillow. Simmons lay down next to her, and Skye focused on the television. A bespectacled Scottish man was speaking, but Skye couldn’t understand a word. “Fitz,” she said quietly, poking him in the shoulder. “What’s he saying?”

“ _Really_?” Fitz sounded skeptical. “You understand me just fine.”

“He’s _really_ Scottish, Fitz,” Skye said.

“Oi! What am I then?”

“I mean, you’re Scottish too, but your accent isn’t as thick.”

“It could be,” at least that’s what Skye thought he said because Fitz had purposely made his accent thicker.

“Meanie!” Skye stuck her tongue out at Fitz and rolled over to look at Jemma. “Simmons, tell me what he’s saying!”

“Why don’t I just turn on the closed captioning?” she suggested, reaching for the remote.

“Fine.” Skye rolled back over and her head bumped into what she was pretty sure was Fitz’s monkey that he’d shoved under the pillow. Curiosity got the better of her and she reached under, pulling it out. “Cute monkey,” she commented, examining it. It was clearly a beloved childhood toy. The soft fur was worn down and missing in spots, and one of the ears had a hole.

“Oi! Give it!” Fitz cried, snatching the monkey away from her and cuddling it close to his chest.

“Does it have a name?” Skye asked.

Fitz didn’t meet her eyes and a blush was spreading across his face. “Henry,” he finally told her. “My Nana gave him to me when I was a baby.”

“That’s nice,” Skye said. “I wish I had something like that.”

“I don’t sleep with him at night or anything,” Fitz said. Simmons made a noise almost like a scoff, and Fitz sat up and glared at her. Skye assumed he must be lying about not sleeping with the monkey. “I just—today was hard, with Ward and everything.”

“Yeah,” Skye agreed, sitting up as well. “I wish he’d open up to me more. I’ve been through shit too. I can empathize.”

Fitz absently wrapped the monkey’s tail around his hand and watched as the comedians on the screen made jokes about ‘scenes we’d like to see.’ He brought the monkey to his mouth, almost like he was going to bite its ear, before he jerked it away and untangled his hand. “You remember—in the lab—when Ward was shouting?”

“Yeah,” Skye said. “He was so angry. It was kinda scary.”

“It reminded me of my father a bit,” Fitz admitted. “He liked to shout too.” Skye stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. “Once I interrupted him while he was watching television. I wanted to show him some science experiment I’d conducted or something. I was too excited and just ran in and started talking. It didn’t even occur to me that he didn’t want to hear about it. He told me ‘be quiet! I want to hear this!’ and I kept talking. I couldn’t stop. I just had to tell him all about my experiment. He got in my face, and he screamed at me. ‘Stop talking!’ Just like what Ward told Simmons.” He took a deep breath and hugged his monkey tighter.

Skye reached up to wipe away the tears in her eyes. She’d noticed Fitz taking deep breaths while Ward had had his outburst, noticed him getting anxious, but she’d never thought that Fitz might have experience with someone shouting at him like that. She glanced at Simmons, but Simmons didn’t look surprised at all, just sad.

“I had a few foster parents who liked to shout,” Skye told them. “One of them got annoyed by my talking, just like Ward did. I’d only been there a week. We were having dinner, and the mom asked how my day was. I started telling her everything that had happened at school, and then the dad just slammed his fist on the table. ‘Don’t you ever shut up?’ he asked me. I went back to St. Agnes’ a few days later.” Skye wiped away the tear that slipped down her cheek. Fitz glanced at her, and then hesitantly held out his monkey. Skye smiled and took it from him. She cuddled it close to her and pressed a kiss to its head before handing it back. “Thanks, Fitz.”

“O’ course,” he said. He shifted so that he was lying on his side, the monkey cuddled in his arms, close to his chin.

Skye stifled a yawn and lay down too. “Are we having a sleepover?” Simmons asked.

“Mmm-hmm,” Skye agreed, her eyes already closed. The sound from the television cut off and she felt the blankets being tugged under her.

“At least get under the blankets before falling asleep, you two,” Simmons ordered. “I don’t want to be woken in the middle of the night from you both complaining that you’re cold.”

“Then don’t hog all the blankets and we won’t,” Fitz retorted as he got up and helped her pull the blankets down.

It was a tight squeeze having the three of them in the same bed, but Skye found it very reassuring. FitzSimmons had her back—literally in Fitz’s case, as she was facing Simmons—and it nice, knowing they were there. It was nice, knowing that Fitz trusted her enough to open up about his father. It was nice, knowing that they didn’t mind her sharing a bed with them. FitzSimmons had welcomed her with open arms her first official day on the Bus, and they continued to do so, even after that stupid incident with Miles.

“I love you, guys,” she told them.

“We love you too, Skye,” Simmons responded.

“Yeah, love you too,” Fitz said.

She fell asleep happy and loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Thanks to those who leave kudos/comments! I'm unlessimwrongwhichyouknowimnot on Tumblr. Feel free to check it out!


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